PERSUASIVE RESEARCH ESSAY: MAJOR REVISIONS

WRD104: Composition & Rhetoric II Winter 2014

PROOF READING
Addressing Lower
All elements in the

Level Concerns:
Grammar Spelling Proper &

e-Portfolio should be proofread

Print out your texts

Read them out loud

Do in chunks in

Appropriate Formatting

short periods of time Do when all revisions are done

EDITING
All elements in the

Still addressing

Lower Level Concerns:

Word Choice

e-Portfolio should be edited

Separate you

Sentence

phrasing Specifying pronouns

document by sentence; read each one out loud slowly. Is it complete and clear on its own?
Underline all

pronouns is it clear which each refers to?

REVISION
Addressing Higher Order Concerns: Is it answering the prompt?
Is it worth saying? Does it communicate what you intend?

Is it organized and structured?

REVISION
You must conduct a Major Revision of

your Persuasive Research Essay and display it in your Final e-Portfolio

This will account for 5% of your Overall

WRD104 Grade

WHY REVISE?
Writing is a process; as we engage in this process,

we discover new connections

Revising lets us see our writing from a critical

perspective
Reconsider your arguments Refine your purpose Review your evidence Reorganize your presentation & structure Polish your tone

HOW TO REVISE?
Wait: Give yourself space from your draft to see it

anew
Prioritize: Dont try to do it all in one sitting you

are guaranteed to make more improvements by doing a little at a time focus on one type of revision at a time
Try varying the medium print out drafts, change

the font type and size, or make other changes to help see it anew

HOW TO REVISE
Review the Assignment Prompt & Guidelines Identify the main components of the assignment (see the guidelines) Underline where in your essay you accomplish each element of the assignment For each element you identify, critically assess whether this element is strong enough if not, how can you improve on this element If elements are missing, begin to develop these new elements

HOW TO REVISE
Focus on your thesis statement:
Does it address you claim and call to action? Does it indicate each of the main reason you provide to

support your claim and call to action?

Try a reverse outline to check!

Does it make a sophisticated point, or is this something

any one could say?

HOW TO REVISE
Create a Reverse Outline: On a separate document/sheet of paper, make two columns and create a bullet point for every paragraph you have in your essay
In column 1: Identify the main idea of each

paragraph in a short phrase

In column 2: Identify the purpose or function of that

paper as it pertains to the assignment prompt and guidelines in a short phrase

How is the paragraph working to support your thesis

statement?

HOW TO REVISE
Focus on your organization:
Highlight all of your topic sentences and transitions
Do all of the topic sentences clearly connect to your thesis

statement?
If not, consider the purpose of the paragraph, and rework to

support your thesis

Do all of your transitions fluidly indicate the connection

between the ideas of the paragraphs involved?

If not, rework to more clearly connect these concepts (you

might even have to move the paragraphs altogether)

HOW TO REVISE
Focus on your use of sources: Highlight any sentence that references a source either directly or by paraphrase Are you establishing who is saying it before? Are you explaining how it supports your claim after? If not, revise to use the quote as evidence or support for your claims Quotes should never make a point for you

HOW TO REVISE
Focus on the essay as a whole: After a break of a couple hours, or preferably a day, read the essay out loud. Make a mark at any point where you stumbled, paused, or got confused while reading
Make sure you read all the way through before fixing anything

Identify the root problem of each instance:

Long sentences can be revised to be more direct by using

Active Verbs or broken down into smaller sentences Ambiguous sentences can be revised by identifying specific nouns (they that he/she) Polish the integration of quotes to ensure they are fluid and clear and fit with your words

HOW TO REVISE
Go over previous feedback
Look at all the feedback youve received this

quarter Identify patterns in my comments & peer review partners comments Identify if you are still making these choices, and revise them to resolve the issue

HOW TO REVISE
Get as much feedback as possible!
Have an informal peer review session with your cohort

group
Visit the Writing Center
bring the assignment prompt

www.depaul.edu/writing

Have someone who doesnt know about the topic identify

elements needing more explanation

Have someone who disagrees with your stance identify

ways of improving counterarguments

REVISION REMINDERS
Give your self time to revise in several sittings
dont try to do it all at once

Use Save As and make multiple drafts, rather Save over one

draft
Dont be afraid of dramatic or big changes
Writing is a process big changes demonstrate progress in your

thinking
Dont be sad about cutting something you like if it doesnt

relate, doesnt match your tone, or is just confusing

Save it! You might be able to use it some where else